Cleaning/Restoring Cork Rod Handles

[mixermarkb]

On 1/16/2024 at 5:49 PM, fishinwrench said:

Simple Orange hand cleaner & pressurized water 👍 

Then if it's REALLY BAD.... sand it down with 220

Simple Orange is the way. Personally I just always let them get dirty- I look at it kinda like a fine patina of fish memories, but I’m weird. 

[MOPanfisher]

Plain old soap and water with a plastic scrubbie is all I have ever used, except for a couple times I did the fine sandpaper trick, looked great until the first trip.  I don't mind them looking a little dirty, kind if like the coloration on a good carbon steel blade.

[Maverickpro201]

On 1/16/2024 at 6:52 PM, jdmidwest said:

How many eels have you had on the fly rod?   I shocked one up on a Mississippi River Tributary during a shocking run for my cousins Master Thesis in College.  Never had one on hook and line.

Use to catch them when we were night fishing for catfish on the Meramac River about 3 miles from the Mississippi River

[rps]

Hard to believe, but in culinary school they taught us how to skin, prep, and cook them. As rich as they are, I bet they are fantastic smoked.

 

[rps]

Regarding handles, if they have been mouse chewed or disintegrated, about the only solution is paracord to fill the cleaned up gaps, epoxy, and then use the heat shrink wrap.

If you must remove all the cork, pracord to make the new handle and soak it in epoxy.

To clean up, I use Dawn and what I call a potato brush, but it has to be nasty before I bother.